Enjoy this free practical guide for getting around Barcelona including getting to/from the airport. Plus getting to all the top tourist attractions in Barcelona. Getting around in Barcelona is easy – you just have to decide which of the methods of transportation you wish to use.

Walking – favorite way of getting around Barcelona

My favorite mode of transportation in most cities is walking. Slow, yes – but so enjoyable. I see so much more when I am walking than when I am in a taxi or bus. Just remember to bring comfortable walking shoes and a lightweight backpack for your travels. Break-in those shoes before your arrival in Barcelona so that you can enjoy your visit to the fullest. In Barcelona watch for the blue signs pointing the way to tourist sites around the city. You can also buy a handy laminated map of Barcelona to help find your way around on your own in Barcelona.

Overall I’ve found shared Airbnb options in Barcelona are a good deal and a great way to meet locals in Barcelona. Just be sure to read a bunch of reviews, look at all the photos, review the cancellation policy, and look at the map before you book your Airbnb.

AeroBus gets you to and from BCN airport

AeroBus is a convenient mode of transportation from BCN El Prat airport to central Barcelona, and back to the airport from central Barcelona. At a cost of 5.90 Euros (single trip is valid for 90 days) or 10.20 (for a return ticket – valid within 15 days of validation) it is also a very affordable option, great for the budget traveler.

Buy AeroBus tickets online, from the bus driver (cash only), or from a vending machine at the airport or at Placa de Catalunya (across from El Corte Ingles shopping mall)

Gran Via-Urgell,

Placa Universidad)

Placa de Catalunya

There are 3 stops from Barcelona to BCN airport

Placa de Catalunya

Sepulveda-Urgell

Placa Espanya

AeroBus runs every 5 minutes (365 days per year) from Barcelona airport Terminals 1 and 2.

On my first trip to Barcelona I was through customs and immigration and sitting on the AeroBus within 45 minutes of landing in Barcelona. Another 30 minutes or so and I was getting off the bus at Placa de Catalunya enjoying a sunny morning walk in Barcelona’s historic district.

With the AeroBus ticket I was given a coupon book for discounts at local restaurants, art museums, music events, bicycle and scooter rental, etc.

Buy your ticket upon arrival at BCN airport or online at the AeroBus website: AeroBus schedule and rates. If you need a ticket to the airport you can also buy tickets at the vending machine at Placa de Catalunya.

Bus and Tram in Barcelona

Barcelona has an extensive public bus system for travel throughout the city. All of the buses in Barcelona have been adapted for people with reduced mobility. On the TMB (Transport Metropolitans de Barcelona) website you can look up information for bus schedules and maps. There is also a new TMB map websitewhere you can enter your beginning and destination addresses for route info.

Getting around Barcelona Metro

Metro was my favorite way to get around Barcelona fast and cheap. I bought 10 ride passes (called a T10 card) at the ticket vending machine.

10 ride pass costs 10.20 Euros (September 2018) and is good for 10 individual trips on the metro

Each time you use the ticket – feeding it into the machine at the entrance to the metro – the date and time of use are printed on the back of the ticket.

There are numerous entrances to the underground metro stations in Barcelona so do take note of the street name for the entrance/exit at the metro. Overall I do find metro to be the fastest way to get around Barcelona.

If you are directionally challenged like me, you may want to bring a map of Barcelona with you.

NOTE: Metro is air-conditioned – stay cool in summer while exploring the sights in Barcelona!

Metro ticket options at Barcelona metro ticket machine

The metro lines are identified by number and color. To locate metro stations look for signs bearing a red “M” with white background.

When buying metro tickets from the vending machines at the metro stations you can select language preference on the bottom right-hand part of the display – see the flags in the photo above.

Hola BCN! is a special pass that may be purchased for unlimited access to Barcelona public transport. Tickets are available for 2, 3, 4, or 5 days. If you buy Hola BCN! tickets online you can get 10% off. Click here for Hola BCN! tickets.

Hop-on Hop-off Tourist Bus Barcelona

These tourist buses charge a flat rate for the ticket which is good for 24 hours, or you can buy a 2-day option. You can hop-on and hop-off the bus at any of their stops as many times as you like for the duration of your ticket.

This is the perfect option for exploring Barcelona by yourself. It’s easy to explore all the top tourist attractions in Barcelona with the Hop-on Hop-off tourist buses.

The beauty of the Hop-on Hop-Off Tourist Bus is that you don’t need to figure out how to get to all the best tourist sites in Barcelona – just hop-on and hop-off at the top things to see in Barcelona.

For 10% discount on tickets as well as information on routes, maps, and more visit the website:

Bicycle around Barcelona

There are bicycle rental options and there is the Bicing bike-share system in Barcelona. The Bicing website is only available in Spanish or Catalan but here is a link to the Bicing map page. Using Google translate: The map can be display stations in operation and see real-time availability of bicycles at each station. Give it a try and let me know how it goes. If I see one of the Bicing stations on my upcoming trip to Barcelona I may give it a short test ride.

Update: Bicing is set up for locals traveling on short trips around Barcelona – not really for tourists but you can use it for FREE for the first 30 minutes.

Bicing bicycle rental service is available year round 24/7 with a few thousand bicycles distributed around Barcelona. If you are living in Barcelona or staying long term you may want to sign up.

Bicing bike rental cost

47.16 Euro per year – annual subscription sign-up required4.54 Euro fee for the card when first signing up for BicingFREE first 30 minutes (requires annual subscription sign-up).74 Euro per half hour – up to 2 hours maximum4.49 Euro fee for exceeding the 2-hour maximum150 Euro for non-return of bicycle 24 hours after removing bike from station

I am a bit of a chicken when it comes to riding a bike in a city. I think I am too easily distracted and would probably get in an accident due to my lack of attention to traffic. Or I would make such an effort to pay attention that I wouldn’t enjoy the seeing the city as I rode my bicycle. Smaller towns are more my style for bicycle riding but I know plenty of people who would be keen to explore Barcelona by bike.

Here are a couple of other bike rental options in Barcelona:

Bici-Rent– located near Plaza Catalunya – bike rentals and tours available

Scooter

You can zoom around Barcelona with a scooter rental. For me, a scooter would offer the opportunity to get lost that much faster and much more often than I do on foot. I did not try out a scooter rental but it looks like a fun way to get around in Barcelona.

Some scooter rental options in Barcelona:

Barcelona Moto Rent– rent a scooter – located near Plaza Catalunya. Or try their scooter delivery service. They also offer an option (for those with hand luggage only) to pick you up at the airport via scooter.

Taxi

Taxis are always an option in any major city. I mostly try to avoid using taxis as they are generally more costly than public transportation. I would use a taxi in Barcelona if I were attending an event that was not easily accessible by metro and walking.

Taxi rates start at around 2 Euro + 1 Euro per km

Bring cash as many of the taxis will not accept debit or credit card

Rental car

If you prefer to do the driving yourself then a rental car is a great option. There are plenty of great day trips from Barcelona so a rental comes in handy if you want to get to Sitges or Montserrat on your own.

Things to see and do in Barcelona

As I mentioned at the beginning of this post walking is still my favorite way to see a city. I enjoy being outdoors getting some exercise and seeing the city life up close. Barcelona is a great walking city and I stayed in La Ribera neighborhood so I could easily walk to:

I totally agree with Betsy that this list is timely, given that so many are headed to TBEX in a few days.
Barcelona is one of my favorite places in the world and getting around is pleasant and fun — mostly walking for me! Five years ago Conrad and I started out there on the hop-on hop-off bus to get the overview, and we have used the metro extensively as well as regional trains to go beyond the city. But your listing goes way beyond the usual modes and I thank you! I have copied a link to this post on a reference page I have for Barcelona info. Thanks!
Josie

I love Barcelona too Josie – and I agree that getting around is pleasant and fun. I have never used the Hop-on Hop-off bus but I am going to try it out on this visit so i can get a tour of the city and stop at a few places that I missed on my last trip. The metro is fantastic but you don’t get to see the city, great for people watching though :)

I have a dear friend there right now! I love Barcelona – I do want to go back. Your post was so fabulous! My favorite way to get around is walking. We also use the metro and hop on and off buses. I think the hop on and off are helpful to take to get your bearings in a new city.

My favourite mode of transportation when travelling depends on the location. I was in Barcelona the summer of 2013 and I loved walking in it. I did a lot of walking. We had easy access to both bus and the Metro from where we staying. Although the Metro is a little faster, we preferred the bus because we could look around. I was there in August and there were always line-ups for the tourist hop-on hop-off bus, so we never chose that option.

In Buenos Aires I took the bus in the wrong direction and I thought it would just loop around back to where I needed to be, but it was the last one for the night so it pulled into a bus station and parked. Luckily the driver helped me find the correct bus to catch back to my neighborhood. Like you, I enjoyed an extended tour of the city :)

Kay, thank you for sharing! I hope others will benefit from this info while visiting Barcelona. Segway is a good additional mode of transport, thanks for mentioning that. I have never tried a Segway either but I have seen others using them to tour around.

Thank you the handy and timely Barcelona transport info. Walking and metro for us. We’ll probably get the multi-day passes which are good for all types of transportation. We used them in Singapore. Quick, easy and inexpensive. These also work for regional rail.

Three days until I leave for Barcelona, so this is an excellent refresher for me. I prefer walking and will sometimes opt to stay in a more expensive, more central location so I can walk to many of the places on my list of places to see. The last time I was in Barcelona I took the Aerobus, a great option for getting from the airport into town. I’ve been reading scary things about pickpockets on the Metro. Did you feel insecure at all?

Thanks for your comment Suzanne. I just used Aerobus again yesterday – bought my return ticket online so I didn’t have to bother getting the ticket upon arrival in Barcelona. I loved using the metro in Barcelona! I think I went through 3 of the 10-trip tickets on my last visit. As for pickpockets, every major city has them. While in any city, when you are among large crowds, I would advise keeping your handbag in front of you at all times. If I were a guy I wouldn’t be keeping a wallet or mobile phone in my back pocket. I felt perfectly safe during all my travels within Barcelona. Enjoy your trip Suzanne!

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